RETROFITTING
NICEIC IS CALLING FOR ELECTRICIANS AND OTHER TRADES TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE OF ADAPTING EXISTING STOCK TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND MEET NET ZERO TARGETS… Northern Ireland trades urged to lead retrofit revolution
NICEIC is calling on all trades to unite in collaboration and innovation aimed at improving the energy efficiency of Northern Ireland’s housing stock. The UK’s largest certifier of electrical businesses is urging those working in electrical and other trades to put their heads together to “solve the great retrofit challenge”. While the UK must virtually eliminate carbon emissions from buildings to achieve
“With so much low carbon technology available, it is now more crucial that installers invest in upskilling and increasing their knowledge. From solar PV and energy storage systems to ground and air source heat pumps, there’s something to suit every homeowner and help them address soaring energy costs in a more sustainable way.”
be achieved alone,” said Paul. “To ensure maximum impact, installers, electricians, gas and heating engineers, plumbers and other service providers will need to work together to ensure a holistic approach from inception through to delivery. “From a cost perspective, this will help keep installation costs down by ensuring all required technologies are integrated early doors, rather later down the line. And, from a results perspective, it will help ensure best practice efficiency standards are met. “The low carbon transition should be seen as a fantastic opportunity for the trades to come together, recommending work between each other and forging meaningful collaboration to add value and maximise impact.”
To provide a helping hand, NICEIC has developed a new range of qualifications for businesses seeking to upskill their knowledge and competence in key emerging low carbon categories. Delivered by NICEIC leading industry experts, key course topics include electrical energy storage systems, installation of small-scale solar PV, solar PV maintenance, solar thermal hot water and heat pumps. “Ultimately, the retrofit challenge cannot
Paul Collins, Technical Director, NICEIC.
its 2050 net zero goals, the UK’s 30 million homes currently account for more than 21% of total emissions (1). This means rising to the challenge of adapting existing stock to improve energy efficiency, according to NICEIC, with all homes required to reach an EPC rating of C or above by 2035. UK government figures cite 19 million homes as currently falling within band D or below. While the most recent energy efficiency data for NI is the 2016 NI House Condition Survey, back then its housing stock compared favourably to other regions of the UK with the highest average energy efficiency rating (65.8) and a greater share of its housing stock
Sources - 1: Energy Saving Trust; 2: House of Commons Research Briefing 2024 3: report by Imperial College London
To discover more about the latest training and qualifications offered by NICEIC, visit: www.niceic.com/training
in band C or above at 49% (2). Paul Collins, Technical Director at
NICEIC launches new series of THE WIRE NICEIC is releasing new episodes of its webinar series, THE WIRE, available exclusively to NICEIC-certified businesses and their teams without charge. Covering a wide range of topics relevant to the electrical industry such as regulations, standards, best practices and technical skills, the new episodes kicked off with a focus on Safe Isolation on May 1 and will include: May 22: Implications of the Building Regulations for the Electrical Industry June 6: Building Safety Act: New Mandatory Technical Competencies June 19: Electrical Installation Condition Report Coding Clinic July 10 : Leadership Essentials For further information or to register to attend, visit: www.niceic.com/thewire
NICEIC, said, “It’s widely documented that most UK homes are unfit for the challenges of climate change. According to one recent study, in fact, our houses are amongst the least energy efficient in Europe and lose heat up to three times faster than those on the continent (3). Tackling this by retrofitting low carbon measures and technologies is not only a net zero imperative but crucial to helping households reduce their energy costs.
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